Is this really a "bug" in dba_tab_columns?

Question

Hi Guys, it's Xev.
I have been struggling with this for weeks now. No matter what I do, I cannot get my procedure to see dba_tab_columns inside of my procedure at run-time. It just blows up and says
"cannot see table or view", that generic answer.
Is there really a bug or limitation with how I am using this dba view? is there something else I can do? it simply will not recognize the other custom users also.
I have two basic lines of defense here, but both of them do not what I need them to do.
Can someone please help me on this.
Ok, this is the "first method" that I have tried to use, it works great, but "only" for one user at a time. I cannot get it to "search" all the rest of the "user schema's". It finds what I tell it to,
but only in the schema, tables and fields in the user that is executing it. I've tried to switch out (user_tab_columns) for dba_tab_columns, but it blows up and tells me that it "cannot see the table or view".
This is my preferred method. If you can alter this to make it find other other users in other schema's through-out the entire database, I would do anything for you!!!
create or replace procedure find_str
         authid current_user
    as
      l_query                 long;
      l_case                  long;
      l_runquery           boolean;
      l_tname         varchar2(30);
      l_cname       varchar2(4000);
      l_refcur       sys_refcursor;
      z_str         varchar2(4000);
  begin
    z_str := '^[0-9]{9}$';
    dbms_output.enable (buffer_size => NULL);
    dbms_application_info.set_client_info (z_str);
    dbms_output.put_line ('Searchword                   Table                          Column/Value');
    dbms_output.put_line ('---------------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------');
    for x in (select distinct table_name from all_tables
    where owner not in ('SYS','SYSTEM','MDSYS','OUTLN','CTXSYS','OLAPSYS','OWBSYS','FLOWS_FILES','EXFSYS','SCOTT',
    'APEX_030200','DBSNMP','ORDSYS','SYSMAN','APPQOSSYS','XDB','ORDDATA','WMSYS'))
    loop
       l_query := 'select ''' || x.table_name || ''', $$
               from ' || x.table_name || '
               where 1 = 1 and ( 1=0 ';
       l_case := 'case ';
       l_runquery := FALSE;
       for y in ( select *
              from user_tab_columns
              where table_name = x.table_name
              and data_type in ( 'VARCHAR2', 'CHAR' ))
       loop
         l_runquery := TRUE;
         l_query := l_query || ' or regexp_like (' ||
                y.column_name || ', userenv(''client_info'')) ';
         l_case := l_case || ' when regexp_like (' ||
               y.column_name || ', userenv(''client_info'')) then ' ||
               '''<' || y.column_name || '>''||' || y.column_name || '||''</' || y.column_name || '>''';
       end loop;
       if ( l_runquery )
       then
         l_case := l_case || ' else NULL end';
         l_query := replace( l_query, '$$', l_case ) || ')';
        begin
           open l_refcur for l_query;
           loop
             fetch l_refcur into l_tname, l_cname;
             exit when l_refcur%notfound;
             dbms_output.put_line
           (rpad (z_str, 29)   ||
            rpad (l_tname, 31) ||
            rpad (l_cname, 50));
           end loop;
         exception
           when no_data_found then null;
         end;
       end if;
    end loop;
  end find_str;
NOW,
This is the second method, it also does a good job finding what i want it to, but still doesn't search the other users and other schema's. If you can alter this to make it find other users and other schema's I'll go crazy! LOL!
For test data simply create a table in your schema and put a "nine digit" number anywhere in the fields and both of these procedures will find them, but only for that "USER".
AND, that's my problem, I have to many custom user's to go on the instances and create procedures for each and every user. it's just not practical.
I really need you guys on this, Happy New Year!
create or replace PROCEDURE find_string
      --(p_search_string IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT '^[0-9]{3}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{4}$')
      (p_search_string IN VARCHAR2 DEFAULT '^[0-9]{9}$')
    IS
      e_error_in_xml_processing EXCEPTION;
      e_table_not_exist EXCEPTION;
      PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT (e_error_in_xml_processing, -19202);
      PRAGMA EXCEPTION_INIT (e_table_not_exist, -942);
    BEGIN
      DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('Searchword           Table              Column/Value');
    DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE ('---------------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------');
    FOR r1 IN
       (SELECT table_name, column_name
        FROM     dba_tab_cols
        WHERE table_name IN (select distinct table_name from dba_tab_cols
where owner not in ('MDSYS','OUTLN','CTXSYS','OLAPSYS','FLOWS_FILES','OWBSYS','SYSTEM','EXFSYS','APEX_030200','SCOTT','DBSNMP','ORDSYS','SYSMAN','
APPQOSSYS','XDB','ORDDATA','SYS','WMSYS'))
        --WHERE  table_name = 'FIND_TEST'
        ORDER  BY table_name, column_name)
    LOOP
       BEGIN
         FOR r2 IN
           (SELECT DISTINCT SUBSTR (p_search_string, 1, 28) "Searchword",
                 SUBSTR (r1.table_name, 1, 30) "Table",
                 SUBSTR (t.column_value.getstringval (), 1, 50) "Column/Value"
            FROM   TABLE
                 (XMLSEQUENCE
                (DBMS_XMLGEN.GETXMLTYPE
                   ( 'SELECT "' || r1.column_name ||
                    '" FROM "' || r1.table_name ||
                    '" WHERE REGEXP_LIKE
                      ("' || r1.column_name || '",'''
                         || p_search_string || ''')'
                   ).extract ('ROWSET/ROW/*'))) t)
         LOOP
           DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE
             (RPAD (r2."Searchword", 29) ||
          RPAD (r2."Table", 31)       ||
          RPAD (r2."Column/Value", 50));
         END LOOP;
       EXCEPTION
         WHEN e_error_in_xml_processing THEN NULL;
         WHEN e_table_not_exist THEN NULL;
         WHEN OTHERS THEN RAISE;
       END;
    END LOOP;
  END find_string;
Happy New Year, if you can get this to find other users!!! GOOD LUCK!

Answer 1

Hi Solomon,
Ok, I understand the first 2 grants, but just to make sure this is what I think they are, I don't understand the third grant, so can you supply the actual grant statement.
Here are the first 2 grant statements. The users name is "directgrant1".
SQL>  GRANT SELECT ANY TABLE TO DIRECTGRANT1;
SQL> GRANT SELECT ON SYS.DBA_TAB_COLS TO DIRECTGRANT1;
Can you please provide the third grant statement?
Now, this stored procedure code below, actually works, but it only finds the tables and fields within it's own schema. I have over 28 custom schema's to search for this nine digit number, so I need this stored procedure to search all of the schema's/Tables/Fields for a nine digit number in the entire database.
This stored procedure compiles and executes with no problem, but I need to use dba_tab_cols so it can find all the other users right? or is there a better way to do this Solomon?
As you can see, this stored procedure code uses "user_tab_cols" and only finds "one user tables/fields". If i use dba_tab_cols in it's place, then will it find all  the other users in the entire database? That is correct right Solomon?  Also, when i ran this procedure last night in my Test Database, it opened 3 cursors. Do we have to tell in in the code somewhere to close the sys_refcursor cursor? or does Oracle close it itself, since it's "implicit?"
Also, the tables that this will be "searching" actually have 40 Million plus records in them. Could this procedure cause the database to crash? Is 40 Million plus table records to much to use something like what we have below??
create or replace
procedure find_sting_nine_digits
        authid current_user
    as
      l_query                 long;
      l_case                  long;
      l_runquery           boolean;
      l_tname         varchar2(30);
      l_cname       varchar2(4000);
      l_refcur       sys_refcursor;
      p_str         varchar2(4000);
  begin
    p_str := '^[0-9]{9}$';
    dbms_output.enable(buffer_size => NULL);
    dbms_application_info.set_client_info (p_str);
    dbms_output.put_line ('Searchword           Table              Column/Value');
    dbms_output.put_line ('---------------------------- ------------------------------ --------------------------------------------------');
    for x in (select * from all_tables
where table_name not in ('SMEG_WITH_RI','SMEGCITIES','SMEG_WITHOUT_RI'))
    loop
       l_query := 'select ''' || x.table_name || ''', $$
               from ' || x.table_name || '
               where 1 = 1 and ( 1=0 ';
       l_case := 'case ';
       l_runquery := FALSE;
       for y in ( select *
              from user_tab_cols
              where table_name = x.table_name
              and data_type in ( 'VARCHAR2', 'CHAR' ))
       loop
         l_runquery := TRUE;
         l_query := l_query || ' or regexp_like (' ||
                y.column_name || ', userenv(''client_info'')) ';
         l_case := l_case || ' when regexp_like (' ||
               y.column_name || ', userenv(''client_info'')) then ' ||
               '''<' || y.column_name || '>''||' || y.column_name || '||''</' || y.column_name || '>''';
       end loop;
       if ( l_runquery )
       then
         l_case := l_case || ' else NULL end';
         l_query := replace( l_query, '$$', l_case ) || ')';
        begin
           open l_refcur for l_query;
           loop
             fetch l_refcur into l_tname, l_cname;
             exit when l_refcur%notfound;
             dbms_output.put_line
           (rpad (p_str, 29)   ||
            rpad (l_tname, 31) ||
            rpad (l_cname, 50));
           end loop;
         exception
           when no_data_found then null;
         end;
       end if;
    end loop;
  end find_sting_nine_digits;